Fw: Skosh

[Dave Robertson]

----- Original Message -----
From: "vincent yann" <janilta at yahoo.fr>
To: "Dave Robertson" <ddr11 at uvic.ca>
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 1:48 AM
Subject: Skosh


> Yes, 'skosh' derives from Japanese
> 'sukoshi' apparently, even if other influences cannot
> be ruled out. I remember the fuzzy relation between f
> ex poontang and putain.
> Unlike 'moshimoshi' (heard as moshmosh to foreign
> ears), the i in sukoshi is not mute, u being mute
> though. Funny to see these 'Asian' words used by the
> American troops all over Asia (mamasan, hootch,
> sko(o)ch, etc) assuming the 'gooks' would understand it
> anyway... I guess that when the Vietnamese heard it in
> the 70's, they thought it was pure US English...
> I must add that 'skosh' was used in the Yokohama
> pidgin (f ex Hocomo's book has it already in 1879)
> with the same meaning (few) but did it remained in
> general knowledge among Westerners in Asia/Japan half
> a century is unknown to me...
> Sikky/skivvy exists in English ? Funny ! Sukebe is
> indeed a useful word in modern Japan !